Bitcoin Firms Urge AI Labs to Grant Security Researchers Equal Access to Advanced Models

More than three dozen bitcoin and crypto companies are pressing major AI labs to give open source security researchers early access to their most capable models, arguing that those defending critical crypto infrastructure are working with weaker tools than the attackers targeting it.

Industry Leaders Back the Request

The letter, organized by the Bitcoin Policy Institute, is signed by companies including Coinbase, Block, BitGo, Blockstream, Anchorage Digital, ARK Invest, Bitwise, Foundry, Casa and Exodus, along with nonprofit developer groups such as Brink, Chaincode and Btrust.

The core concern is that Bitcoin Core developers, who maintain the software running the network, lack access to the advanced tools AI labs reserve for trusted security partners. When relying on public models instead, safety restrictions meant to prevent malware creation also limit efforts to identify vulnerabilities before criminals exploit them.

Attackers Reportedly Face Fewer Restrictions

According to the letter, AI labs and select partners often gain visibility into new offensive capabilities well before the public, while those same capabilities eventually spread through public models, hacking tools and compromised systems. Signatories are requesting early access to powerful models, sufficient computing resources, secure code review environments, eligibility for smaller independent developers, and direct communication channels with lab security teams.

Recent Incidents Highlight the Stakes

The timing follows real-world events reinforcing the argument. BTCPay Server recently disclosed a critical flaw that attackers had already used to drain merchant Lightning nodes, while hardware wallet maker Foundation lost its own node in the same attack. Separately, a volunteer group known as the Bitcoin Red Team has been using AI models to scan bitcoin-related codebases, uncovering thousands of security findings across numerous projects.